Chapters 24-25 Summary

Hervé Joncour leaves Hara Kei's village with thousands of silkworm eggs. Approximately three months later he is home. His wife Hélène runs to meet him with an embrace and twice states aloud, "You're back."

For forty-one days, Joncour resumes the peaceful life he leads during the summers. Then, he seeks Baldabiou at Café Verdun, who is playing billiards against himself. Joncour asks where he can find someone to translate Japanese into French. Baldabiou directs him to Madame Blanche, a brothel owner in the city of Nimes.

Chapters 24-25 Analysis

Joncour is escorted away from Hara Kei's village by two men who surely will report to Hara Kei, yet Joncour pauses to stare at the houses one last time. He is again making his personal interests obvious to the wrong people. He arrives back home several weeks later without incident and notices the velvety...